The lowdown: North Queensland must conquer the most dominant club in NRL history to become the first team ever to win the premiership from eighth spot. The Cowboys are riding a wave of emotion and momentum after a succession of sudden-death upsets, ending Cronulla's title defence with a thrilling golden-point win in week one of the play-offs before eliminating Parramatta and the Sydney Roosters to reach their second grand final in three seasons. The Storm have taken the shorter path to the season decider, parlaying their minor premiership into a seventh grand final in 10 years with a tough win over the Eels and comprehensive 30-0 drubbing of Brisbane.

Key: While the Storm, led by the superstar spine of Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith, boast strike power across the park, the Cowboys will again rely heavily on in-form half Michael Morgan continuing his magical finals series and Jason Taumalolo, the game's most destructive forward, again racking up more than 230 metres in runs.